Ethnic Identity, Modern Nationhood, and the Sino‐Mongolian Contention over the Legacy of Chinggis Khan

Abstract

AbstractThe reason for China to enshrine Chinggis Khan as a national icon is threefold: to foster among the ethnic Mongols a sense of belonging to China by accommodating their cultural identity; to sustain the sense of belonging of Han Chinese to an uninterrupted national identity by depicting the Mongol Empire as a dynasty instead of an alien regime of China; and to justify the rule over other minority regions like Tibet whose unity with China proper was first achieved by the Mongol Empire. On Mongolia's part, the Khalkha‐centric ethnic identity and the status of Chinggis Khan as a symbol of national independence make it impossible for Mongolia to share Chinggis Khan with either their ethnic compatriots in Inner Mongolia or their neighbour China. Thus, both countries find themselves in an irreconcilable contention over the legacy of Chinggis Khan because of their respective national identities and domestic political agendas.